Okay travellers, we’re almost there! Now that you are prepared and armed with nutritious and delicious snacks, all that remains is to keep your little munchkins entertained for the duration of the flight. Easy right? Because all young children love being confined to small dark spaces and communicating in quiet tones!
Of course, you know your children better than anyone and therefore know best how to engage them. But I am always curious to know what other parents do, and to be honest the following list is the result of recommendations that other mothers have graciously shared with me. It is always beneficial to have a few new things to try in your arsenal of entertaining tricks so I hope you find it helpful!
AT THE AIRPORT
- Some airport terminals have play zones for children. It is definitely worth seeking these out. Either check the airports’ website before departure or ask an employee at check-in. Otherwise, find a closed gate overlooking the runway and watch the planes coming and going until it’s time to board.
- I must confess to something that I do before we board the plane that you probably won’t find in the pages of a parenting book. I let the kids play. I sit back and allow them to run, jump, and be a little rambunctious. Of course, we try to find a quiet corner at the gate, away from the majority of passengers, and I set reasonable limits on their behaviour. While I have observed that ‘letting off steam’ in this way does have positive effects on their behaviour, the main reason I encourage this is to lower the expectations of other passengers! While they are playing, I scan the faces of other passengers and see the fear building on their faces. Fear that they are going to be stuck on an aircraft for umpteen hours with these little terrors!! It is actually beneficial if there is a meltdown or sibling argument at this point, because after that your fellow passengers will be so grateful for any improvement in behaviour, and will be so much more tolerant of happy play noise on the plane!
- It is up to you if you want to board first or last. Our personal preference is near the end of boarding. While the first passengers are boarding, I try to take a few minutes for the children to relax and explain what we’re about to do. I always make a big fuss about how they should say hello and introduce themselves to the flight crew and passengers. Good manners are important, as is getting other passengers and staff on your side! If another individual has been blessed with sitting next to one of your family members; take a moment to greet them with your best smile (depending on how your flight goes you may want to also buy them a drink!)
ON THE PLANE
In my first post, I mentioned packing toys and activities in a small backpack. This is what we bring:
- Favourite stuffed animal or blanket: These furry friends must join you on your adventure. They become a beacon of familiarity amongst all the strangers and a necessity if you would like your child to sleep during the journey.
- Colouring and Activity Books: I look for small sized books and place colouring pencils and crayons in an old mint tin. They are compact for travelling and easily fit on the seat-back table when being used. Your dollar or pound store will probably have a selection. I have also purchased Dover Little Activity Books from Amazon. This retro-looking range includes colouring, dot-to-dot, stickers, dress the doll, mazes, and spot the difference books on all kinds of themes suitable for boys and girls of difference ages. I ordered a variety and then bring new ones on each trip. Erasable doodle boards or Aquadoodle pads are other alternatives for kids who enjoy drawing. You can also print off some colouring pages featuring your child’s favourite character or thing.
- Toys: I bring a few small toys packed in a zip lock bag that can be easily grabbed from the backpack. Items like cars, dinosaurs, animals, and dolls. I try to remember how many are in the bag and leave any removable small parts at home. It is highly likely that one of these will get lost under the seat. Avoid bringing any of your favourite noise-makers.
- Storybooks or Magazine’s: Bring 2 or 3 small paperback books. An old favourite and a new one. You may like to try the Mr. Men or Little Miss series, Robert Munsch classics, or the National Geographic’s Little Kids collection. Magazine’s aimed at preschoolers are also valuable as they include short stories, lots of different activities and they often come with a free toy!
- Games: Playing games with your children is usually associated with movement and noise, so you may need to be creative when engaging them in fun games on the plane. Our favourite games are ‘I spy’, ‘20 questions’ (where one person thinks of an animal, food, vehicle or instrument and the other players ask questions and guess what it is), ‘name that tune’ (everyone’s favourite humming game), and ‘who is that?’ (we scroll through the photos on my phone and guess who the baby is)!
- Snacks: Don’t forget utilizing your abundant snacks as entertainment. Activities like counting the cheerios, naming the colours of the fruit gummies etc.
- Tablet or Smartphone: We refer to our tablet as the ‘i-sitter’, and while it is the last on the list it tends to be the most powerful entertainer! Remember that your child will need to wear headphones to listen to any shows/games. Make sure you bring headphones that are comfortable and they will be willing to wear. If you have two children bring along an adaptor so that they can both wear their headphones and watch the tablet. Download a new movie or episodes of their favourite cartoon. I also like the free Sesame Street Podcasts which are 6-8 minutes long, perfect for younger children with shorter attention spans. Some airlines allow you to stream entertainment while in-flight so download their app before you depart. I also have a few free apps that have stood the test of time. These include: Paint Sparkles Draw, Peekaboo Barn, Doodle Buddy, Mr. Potato Head, Barbie Fashionistas, and Thomas and Friends. There are many educational and fun apps out there and I am sure you have your own preferences.
Finally, remember if you are actually successful in entertaining your children or they fall asleep, you will be wishing that you had brought along a book or magazine or uploaded a movie for yourself, so do so…. You never know you may get 5 minutes!
Wherever you may be heading this summer, I hope you not only survive travelling with your young kids, but are inspired to travel more, now and in the future.
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